The Flash: Castles in the Sand
by Crazedtroll
Summary: Ever wonder how Harrison Wells met Tess Morgan? Here's my take on it. These can stop anywhere so I add as inspiration hits.
1. Chapter 1

Tess Morgan gazed at the glimmering sand and inviting water. She loved the beach and after a rough week of finals, she needed the break. Smiling, she strolled down, kicking her sandals off as she got into the less packed sand. Putting down her bag and towel, she ran her hands through her hair, enjoying the breeze and gazing around at the crowd.

It wasn't as crowded as it could be but it was early in the season. Some people might argue that it was too early to be swimming in the ocean. Most of the crowd seemed to be more interested in playing in the sand, though there was a crowd of children watching a guy in a ball cap build a sandcastle. Even from a distance Tess could tell it was an impressive castle. It looked like it came up to the guy's waist and he towered over most of the children.

Tess watched the man briefly, admiring the toned muscles on his chest, which were obvious even at a distance. Smiling she shook her head, "You came to swim, not ogle eye candy." Laughing at her own comment, she dropped her cut off shorts and pulled her shirt off, striping down to her bikini. Taking a moment to stretch, she basked in the feeling of the warm sun on her skin. Satisfied that she'd dawdled long enough, she took off for the water, her feet pounding over the sand and splashing through the waves.

A shriek of joy caught the attention of Harrison Wells. Looking up from he was doing, he watched a gorgeous woman dash down the beach, leap through the water and dive into an oncoming wave. Pausing for a moment, he watched her come up with a shout, tossing her hair back and rolling onto her back. Complaints from the children who had been watching him reached his ears and he turned his attention back to the castle he'd been building.

He too had come to the beach to get away from some of the stresses of the week. Unlike Tess though, he'd been at the beach for most of the morning. In fact, he'd beaten most everyone to the beach and had been building the sandcastle for several hours. Throwing his shovel into the sand, he wiped his hands, glancing at his fans, he pulled his cap off and wiped at the sweat that had accumulated there.

"Sorry kids, time for a break," he announced as he ran a hand through his hair before putting his hat back on . There were several groans of protest and sadness. "At least let me get a drink!" He protested, grabbing his water bottle and uncapping it. Once more his gaze turned to the woman.

The water was cold, but Tess had jumped right in, coming up with a shout. Now she was steadily stroking through the water, paralleling the shore. It had been a while since she'd been swimming and the water felt great around her. Her muscles felt the resistance as she cut through the water. After only a few meters, however, she felt her calf muscle starting to clench a little more than necessary. On her next kick the muscle clenched and she managed to cry out once before she went under.

On the beach, Harrison heard a noise as he was turning to go back to his castle creation. Pausing, he turned to look back towards the water. The beauty he'd been admiring before appeared to be having some trouble; floundering in the water and going under. Realizing that she was indeed in trouble, he started running towards the water. Calling out as he ran.

In the water, Tess was starting to panic. She couldn't move her leg and she'd gone under, taking in a huge gulp of water. Trying to fight the panic overtaking her, she got to the surface for a moment. In that moment, she thought she heard something, but it could have been herself shouting for help. She went under again, and the panic was rapidly becoming terror.

Harrison ran as fast as he could, lifting his feet high as he splashed through the shallow water and diving out as soon as he thought it was deep enough. He came up just in time to take a wave in the face, but he kept driving in the direction the woman had been. Another wave came towards him and he dove, aiming for the base. This time when he came up, he spotted the woman flailing and once more struck out towards her. When he got to where she was, she'd gone under. Taking a deep breath he dove down where he'd seen her last.

Tess couldn't get her head above the water. She'd broken the surface once or twice more but now was sinking. She thrashed desperate to get to the surface. It was no use. The water stayed closed over her and her body sank deeper. Die, she was going to die here. How stupid was that, someone as smart as her with as bright a future as she had and she was going to drown.

Harrison found her. Hoping he wasn't too late, he wrapped an arm around her, going under her arm and grabbing the opposite shoulder. Kicking for the surface, he pulled her up, arching his back so that her head came out first. He heard her gasp for air and relief flooded through him.

"I got ya," Harrison reassured her.

Tess couldn't believe it. She'd been saved. The arm wrapped around her was strong and sure and the man was talking to her calmly. Taking several deep breaths, she tried to focus on what he was saying to her, though a part of her bathed in the sound of his voice. There was nothing like hearing another person right after you thought you were going to die.

"Thank you," Tess managed to say.

"No problem," Harrison replied. "A little more and then you should be able to stand. Are you alright?" She seemed to have calmed down some and he found it comforting.

"Cramp in my calf," she explained. Tess wanted to see who her rescuer was, but he was holding her tightly enough that she couldn't move much. Not that she wanted to move out of his grip.

"Oh. Do you need me to carry you?" Harrison wanted to kick himself as soon as he said the words. World's worst come on ever.

"At least let me lean on you," she replied. She felt her feet touch the bottom and his grip eased as they reached shallower water.

"Okay, take it easy," Harrison said as they both stood. He let go of her shoulder, but moved his arm so that it was around her waist.

"Good. Thanks." Tess felt a little unsteady but was determined not to be a total damsel in distress and need him to carry her out of the water. Standing a little straighter, she made sure she wasn't hanging onto the hunk who had saved her and took a step. Her leg gave out and she immediately went under.

"Woah boy!" Seeing the woman go under, Harrison pulled her up, happy he'd kept his arm around her. Without thinking he scooped her, feeling the clenched muscle in her calf. "How about I do this part?"

Tess looked up into the face of her rescuer. He seemed vaguely familiar, his dark hair clinging to his face in some places. He smiled crookedly at her and she was struck by how handsome he was. "Okay," she agreed as he steadily walked them out of the water. "Have we met before?"

"I don't know," he replied, more focused on keeping his balance than the conversation really. He got them to the beach proper and carefully put her down, moving to help her stretch the cramped muscle.

"I'm lucky you came and got me," Tess said as he helped her stretched her leg.

"If you hadn't shouted I might not have looked up," he replied. "I was just getting back to my sandcastle when I heard you." That explained it, Tess thought, as she watched him. He was the castle builder she'd admired when she'd first arrived.

"Sorry to tear you away from your construction," she said. His hat was gone. "Oh, you lost your hat," she said without thinking. His eyebrows arched as he looked up, as if he could see the hat he'd been wearing backwards.

"Damn," Harrison said, realizing that she was right. "Oh well. Lost for a worthy cause I'd say." He smiled at her, and massaged her leg.

"I'll get you a new one," she suggested. Waving her comment away, he pointed and flexed her foot some.

"Nah, don't worry about it," he said, shaking his hair and sending water flying.

"Well, how about I buy you a coffee," Tess suggested. He really was very good looking. With a smile, he nodded, wiping at some water on his face.

"I think I could accept that," Harrison agreed. "Do you need help getting to your stuff?" Moving her leg experimentally, Tess tried to decide if she was willing to let him slip away now.

"I'm gonna need help getting to the coffee hut," Tess replied.

"Oh, you wanna go for coffee now?" The surprise covered his face. "I'm all wet," he added.

"So what? I know the owner. She won't mind," Tess replied.

"Alright. Sure, why not." He stood, and offered her a hand. Hamming it up a little, she let him help her up and hobble towards her towel.

"I'm Tess Morgan," Tess said.

"Harrison Wells," Harrison replied.

"Harrison Wells, it is very nice to meet you," Tess declared. She looked to Harrison and he smiled at her, his blue eyes bright.

"Nice to meet you too, Tess Morgan." They shared a laugh, as she bent to get her things, and then hobbled off into the sunset.


	2. Chapter 2 - Jaunty Cap

**Author's note: I hadn't started this as more than a one shot, but I enjoyed writing the two lovebirds so much I kept going. I have a few more chapters in mind. I welcome any input and feedback! Enjoy!**

Tess sat and watched the waves, occasionally flexing her foot; After a moment Harrison came out of the Coffee Hut and put two cups on the table. "One vanilla iced chai," he said, running a hand through his hair to brush it back out of his face.

"I'm sorry about your hat," Tess said, taking her cup and the straw he offered. He waved a hand and picked up his own cup, removing the lid as he leaned back.

"Forget about the hat. All that matters is you're alright." He meant what he said to her, one hat was nothing compared to her life.

"I feel responsible. You did lose it saving my life," Tess argued. Once more Harrison waved her concerns away. "I can't believe I nearly drowned like that."

"Could have happened to anyone," Harrison assured her. Sitting up rapidly, he grabbed a napkin and patted down his wet pockets.

"What are you doing?" Tess watched as he pulled out a pencil, wiped it dry and started to doodle on the napkin.

"Sorry. I have a hard time sitting still," he answered, looking up at her with a boyish grin.

"Well Harrison Wells, what do you do when you aren't building castles in the sand and rescuing damsels in distress?" Tess leaned back, watching him as a gentle breeze ghosted over her wet skin. He seemed unaware of her gaze, focused on his drawing.

"I'd hardly call you a damsel," Harrison said without looking up from his doodle. "No damsel could be as beautiful as you." The words filtered into his brain and he realized what he said. Looking up he blushed under her steady gaze. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize." Tess grinned and sipped at her drink. "Seriously, what do you do?"

"I don't know yet," he answered honestly. "I just finished my defense for my PHD." He'd returned to his doodle so he missed the look on her face.

Something nagged at the back of Tess's brain. Realization struck. "Oh my gosh, you're the jerk who built that generator and negated all of Dr. Putt's work!" Right after she'd spoken, Tess slapped a hand over her own mouth. She'd not meant to call the handsome man sitting across from her a jerk.

"Ouch," Harrison said, looking up from his doodle, the pencil suddenly forgotten in his hand. "Tell me how you really feel."

"I'm sorry, it's just… He might lose his job," Tess said.

"In my defense, Dr. Putt actually bet me that I couldn't disprove his theory. He also said if I couldn't provide physical evidence, he'd bury me." Harrison managed a half smile, wondering if he'd lost all chances with the beautiful woman sitting across from him.

"Okay. But did you have to do it in such a public manner?" Tess felt bad for judging her savior.

"Now that," Harrison said, pausing to sip his drink, "was completely his idea. Guess he thought I was just going to embarrass myself." Shrugging, Harrison sat back, slipping the pencil back into his pocket.

A heavy silence fell between the two, but it was broken by the shouts of a young boy who came running up carrying a battered backpack. "Mr. Harrison, Mr. Harrison, we're done." The boy stopped by Harrison and held out the backpack he'd been carrying.

"Yeah?" Harrison sat up, digging into his back pocket to pull out his wallet.

"Yes Mr. Harrison. And I brought your bag." Smiling, Harrison took the bag, depositing it on the ground between his feet.

"Alright. Good work. Here, sorry that it's soggy," Harrison said, handing the boy a wet ten dollar bill. Taking it, the boy nodded and took off back the way he'd come. "Tell the others I'll be back tomorrow!" Harrison's shout earned him a wave from the boy and then the child vanished into the falling night.

"What was that all about?" Tess asked, finishing her last sip of her tea and pushing her cup away.

"Oh, I pay some of the local boys to tear down my sandcastles and fill in any holes at the end of the day," Harrison said. Deciding that his chances with the beautiful woman were pretty much zilch, he finished his own drink, and stood, picking up her cup as well. "If you're done, I'll take these back."

"Yeah. Thanks." Tess nodded and watched him turn and take the cups back inside. When he came back out, she saw him shiver in the evening breeze. While he'd been gone, she'd pulled on her sweatshirt to keep warm.

"Well," Harrison began, coming back over to the table. "I have to get headed out. Do you need any more help?" Once more he had to run his hand through his nearly shoulder-length hair to keep it out of his face.

"I parked at the public access," Tess supplied. She stood, wincing a little as she put weight on her leg, and lifted her own bag to her shoulder. "So, if you'd be willing to walk me that far, I'd really appreciate it."

"Of course." Smiling, he offered her a hand, using his other hand to sling his bag over his shoulder.

"That bag of yours is pretty banged up," Tess said, as she took the hand and clung to the arm attached to it.

"Yeah," he agreed. He didn't see the point in saying much more. She wasn't interested in him, so he wasn't going to put much effort into talking with her.

Tess fell silent, leaning heavily on the man as they strolled slowly down the boardwalk. She found her gaze turning to the last few street vendors who were slowly packing up for the day. Harrison ran his hand through his hair again, still losing the battle to the now loose locks. They were slowly walking past one vendor when something caught her eye. Pulling on his arm, she stopped.

Harrison wasn't expecting her to stop, so he stumbled backwards a little as she tugged on him. "What's up?" Looking up from the thoughts he'd been lost in, he was surprised to find her gazing at a clothing vendor.

"I'm going to get you a new hat," Tess declared. Stepping forwards on her good leg, she picked up a blue newsboy cap and set it on his head. "We'll take this one," she said, pushing the money into the vendor's hands. "Come on." Taking Harrison by his arm again, she started pulling him on towards her car. She wasn't going to let him return the hat.

"This isn't exactly my style," he said, rolling his eyes up. With a frown, he reached up and spun the cap, so that it was backwards.

"I think you look great in it," Tess said, reaching up to spin it around, only he turned his head away.

"Nope, nope. Don't touch the hat." He grinned a bit cheekily at her and she laughed. "You have a beautiful laugh."

"Thank you," Tess said. They stopped as they came to her car. "Well, this is me. Thank you, for being my knight in sandy armor." Reaching up, she pulled his head to hers and kissed him. As they broke apart, Harrison couldn't help but look a little confused.

"Not that I didn't enjoy that, but I thought you didn't like me cause I embarrassed Dr. Putt," Harrison said, nervously shoving a hand into his pocket.

"That man is a putz and had it coming. Good night Harrison." Unlocking her car, Tess tossed her bag into the passenger seat and climbed in, rolling her window down.

"Good night, Tess," Harrison said. Smiling at her, he pulled something out of his backpack and handed it to her. "It was nice meeting you." He handed her the thing in his hand and turned and headed back to the now dark beach.

"What a weird guy," Tess said to herself. She watched him walk away for a minute before looking at the napkin he'd handed her. It was the napkin he'd been drawing on at the Coffee Hut. Her jaw nearly dropped when she realized he'd sketched a portrait of her. "Very weird," she said, smiling as she memorized the phone number he'd included in the signature at the bottom of the drawing. "I am so going to have to call him." Laughing, she started her car and headed for home.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Worst First Date

Harrison Wells brushed his hand through his hair one last time. Spotting the right apartment number he spun his hat on his hand and tried to shake the nerves away. He wasn't certain why he was so nervous. After all, he'd already saved the woman's life. Now they were just having a first date. First dates were nothing after saving a woman's life. Right? Taking a deep breath, he reached up and rapped on the door.

Like always, he rapped out "Shave and a hair cut, two bits." If someone asked him why that was how he knocked, he wouldn't be able to answer. He waited a moment, nervously running his hand through his hair. After a minute or two, he knocked again, same pattern. A moment later the door was thrown open.

"Harrison, sorry," Tess greeted. He stared, the words trapped in his throat. He'd seen her in a bikini, had his arms wrapped around her supple form. Still he was shocked into mute stupidity. "Come on in." She was actually wearing more than the last time he'd seen her. Dressed in sweatpants and a baggy shirt, she moved back into the apartment. Mentally shaking himself, he stepped inside, pushing the door closed when he realized she'd vanished into the kitchen.

"Umm... am I early?" He glanced at the watch on his wrist.

"Sorry?" Tess poked her head out of the kitchen, her brow wrinkled in confusion. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a green polo shirt. His hair had been neatly brushed and parted, and he held the newsboy cap she'd bought him in his hand.

"For our date?" God, had he gotten the day or time wrong? She'd set it, calling him almost a week after he'd saved her life and given her his number. He'd been so surprised when she'd called. After a week he'd thought that she wasn't interested in him.

"Oh, sorry!" Flinching, Tess glanced at the clock on the wall. "I was reviewing data from my experiment and lost track of time! Forgive me?"

"Well, that depends," he said. "What are you working on?" If she'd asked him, he would have happily told her that he spent part of his week consuming all of the papers that had listed her as one of the authors. Perhaps that was why he was nervous. She wasn't just good looking, her brain was a massive turn on.

"I've been researching telomere size in cloned individuals," Tess said. "I'm trying to develop a way to either stop or reverse the shortening of the telomere."

"Right, I've read some of that. The theory being that if you can stop the shortening of the telomere you might just slow or stop aging," Harrison agreed.

"Right." She paused. While she'd dated intelligent men before, most of them were either intimidated by her intelligence, or felt it was over rated.

"Do you want a second opinion?" He was genuinely interested in the work, his nervousness forgotten in the excitement of science.

She hesitated at first, but the excited gleam in his blue eyes was enough to convince her. "Okay." Motioning him over, she waved at her desk, which occupied a large portion of the dining area.

"Woohoo!" He couldn't stop it, the hoot of excitement was out before he knew it. Deciding to just go with it, he rushed over to the computer, his eyes rapidly scanning the data before he was even at the desk.

"There's a lot here and I'm just having a hard time wading through it all." Coming over as Harrison sat, Tess stood behind him, her hand resting on his shoulder.

"Well, have you tried sorting it differently?" Absorbed in the world of science, he didn't even notice her hand on his shoulder. In fact they both rapidly became absorbed in the work, forgetting the planned date and losing track of time completely.

Nearly two hours later, Tess stood, having pulled a chair over to look over the data with him, and stretched. She was mid-stretch when the phone rang. Glancing at Harrison, still lost in the data, he had a pen he was idly spinning in one hand and hadn't heard the phone at all, Tess went to answer the phone. Harrison was vaguely aware of her leaving, but didn't really process it until he heard her whimper as if in pain.

Looking up, he was shocked to see her standing with a hand to her mouth and the other hand was holding the receiver so tightly the knuckles were white. Saving the work they'd done on the computer, he stood, uncertain if he should invade on her pain. Would it be rude if he listened in on her conversation? Deciding he'd rather be rude than ignore her pain, he stepped forwards, hovering just at her elbow to offer support.

"What do you mean you don't know?" She was demanding from the phone. "Well when will you know?" She started to pace the room, her stress levels apparently going through the roof. "No. I don't have a way to get home right now! My roommate is out of town and my car is in the shop."

"Tess," he said softly, touching her elbow. "I'll drive you." He didn't know where she needed to go, but he knew it didn't matter. He'd take her if it would help ease her pain.

"Hang on." Pulling the phone away from her ear, she stared at Harrison. His face was painted with concern, his usual sparkling eyes dark and serious. "It's 400 miles, Harrison, but thanks."

"I don't care. I'll drive you." He pressed his lips firmly together, trying to communicate his determination in his stance as well as his voice. "Wherever you need to go, I will take you." Letting out a long sigh, she stared at him. He'd already saved her life physically. Now it seemed he was about to do the same emotionally.

"Alright," she finally agreed. Slipping the phone back into place, she resumed her conversation. "I have a friend who can drive me. We'll get on the road as soon as we can. If you could have an extra room, I'd appreciate it. Let me know if you find anything out." Hanging up the phone, she turned to Harrison. He was standing with his arms crossed, his shoulders raised a little as if he'd absorbed some of her stress.

"Come on, you can tell me what's going on after you tell me where we're going," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the door. Tess didn't resist him, but she thought about stopping him so she could pack a bag. No, she'd just buy whatever she needed when she got there. It would be expensive, but this was more important.

"Where are you parked?" Tess asked as she pulled her apartment door shut and locked it.

"Right out front," Harrison informed her. Taking her hand once more, he led the way to an old battered blue Toyota. Tess didn't comment on the age of the vehicle. Instead she slid into the passenger seat, Harrison holding the door for her. Once she was in, he closed the door and ran around to the driver side.

"We're going to Mountain View City. It's near Capital City," she informed him as he slid in and buckled up his seat belt.

"Okay. I know the basic way. Buckle up." He started the engine of the car while she pulled the seat belt across, securing it as he pulled the car out onto the street.

"Thank you," Tess said softly after a minute of silent driving. Glancing at her, Harrison nodded.

"No problem. Want to tell me what happened?" He wasn't trying to be nosey, he just sensed she needed to talk about it.

"It was my sister on the phone," Tess started. Taking a deep breath, she jumped in, "she said Dad had a heart attack at the restaurant. An ambulance took him to the hospital."

"That's awful," Harrison said, glancing at her sympathetically.

"Well, Dad's the only one who understands me and doesn't think I'm weird for putting my career first." Bitterness crept into her voice, and she felt bad that it was there, but she couldn't help it. "I'm sorry you're getting dragged into this." He snorted and shook his head as if shaking the comment away.

"Forget it. I'm here for you. Whatever you need to get you through this," he promised.

"But you barely know me," Tess protested.

"Doesn't matter." He stole a glance at her. "I know you're important. I know that your dad would want somebody with you through this. Any good dad would want someone to be there for his daughter through this."

'Yeah, Dad would want me to have someone," Tess agreed. "Thank you." Once more he nodded and glanced at her before turning his attention back to the road.

"If we make good time, we should get in early in the morning," he informed her. "Do you know which hospital we're headed for?"

"St. Giles in the Fields," Tess answered.

"Yeah, I know it," he declared. "If you think you can rest, go ahead. I'll wake you if I need directions."

"I don't think I can sleep," Tess said. Tears were starting to leak out of the corner of her eyes, as she realized that her father might not be there waiting for her.

"Okay. Then tell me about your dad. All about him." Harrison hoped it was the right request. Maybe if he could get her focusing on good things she'd be able to let go of the bad a little easier. With a gulp and a nod, Tess started talking as they drove on into the night.

*Much Later*

Tess practically dragged Harrison into the hospital. He'd offered to drop her at the door but she'd insisted that he come in with her. As they'd driven around trying to find parking she'd just gotten more and more agitated. When he finally found a spot and parked Tess was out of the car in a matter of moments. Shouting at her to slow down, Harrison had raced after her until he'd caught up.

"Tess, look I will be here for you, but I don't want to invade on your family's privacy," Harrison said, pulling them up short of where they'd been directed. Just past the doors, he could see a small group of people waiting.

"Harrison, you've just driven all night with me to get me here. I want you in there with me, now." With her lips firmly set, Tess took his hand and dragged him into the little room. "Mom, I'm here," Tess said as they entered. An older woman with brown hair looked up from a little huddle with a younger woman who had blond hair.

"Tess?" The younger woman said the name as if she was shocked and disgusted at the same time. "We didn't expect you so soon. Where's your friend?"

"Harrison and I drove straight through. We only stopped once to use the bathroom and gas up," Tess explained.

"This is your friend?" The other woman stared at Harrison, her eyes widening in shock.

"Umm... Harrison Wells," he offered the hand that Tess wasn't holding. The other blond glowered at the hand he offered.

"We thought when you said you had a friend driving you, you meant a girl friend," the older woman said. Standing, she came over to the group.

"I'm a girlfriend now," Harrison whispered so that only Tess could hear him. "Not the kind of friend I wanted to be." Despite the situation, Tess found she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

"I'm afraid we only reserved one hotel room. We figured you and your friend would be okay sharing," the older women kept going, ignorant of Harrison's complaints. "Oh, dear, where are my manners. I'm Sharon Morgan, Tess's mother. This is my other daughter Jessica." She waved at the other blond. Managing a smile, Harrison nodded a greeting to them each.

"Harrison Wells, umm, have you heard any news on Mr. Morgan?" At the moment, Harrison wasn't ready to deal with answering twenty questions about his relationship with Tess.

"Oh, Tess told you," Mrs. Morgan said.

"Umm... I was over when she got the call." Harrison looked to Tess, wondering what exactly he was supposed to do. For her part, Tess was too confused and upset to know what to do or say. Glancing at her, Harrison realized she was still in shock of sorts, so he forged on with the conversation. "So, what's the news on Mr. Morgan?"

"There's no news yet," Mrs. Morgan said. "We've been waiting for several hours now." With a dejected sigh, she sat back down, eyeing the clasped hands of her daughter and the man in the hat. "Have you known my daughter long?"

"Uh," Harrison looked at Tess, realized he was holding her hand and tried to figure out if he should let go of her hand or try to just shrug everything off. What kind of man did Tess want to bring home to her family?

"I'm sorry about the hotel room. Tess never has boyfriends," Mrs. Morgan said.

"Oh, I'm not a boyfriend," Harrison said. "I mean, I'm a friend and I'm male, but not a boyfriend." He looked frantically to Tess desperate that she save him from himself.

"Oh. I understand," Mrs. Morgan said with a knowing nod. "Well, thank you for bringing my Tess all the way out here."

"My pleasure. I mean, not that her pain brings me pleasure," Harrison looked to Tess, flustered. To his surprise, she was smirking at him. "Oh boy. Sorry."

"Do you always wear your hat indoors?" Jessica snarked at him. Rolling his eyes up towards the newsboy cap, Harrison practically jumped out of his skin trying to get the hat off.

"No. Umm. No. Sorry." Without the hat on to hold it in place, his hair was free to hang down into his face. With a frustrated sigh, he brushed his hair out of his face.

"Mrs. Morgan?" A man in a lab coat stood just inside the room. Feeling extremely out of place, Harrison did his best to fade into the background.

"Yes." Standing once more, Mrs. Morgan stepped forwards.

"You're Mrs. Morgan?" Wiping at a tear, Mrs Morgan nodded. "Your husband suffered a massive heart attack. We did everything we could but…" The doctor didn't get to finish as Mrs. Morgan and her daughters started crying. Mrs. Morgan and Jessica hugged each other. Seeing Tess left out and by herself, Harrison moved forwards, reaching out to slip his hand into hers.

Tess didn't know what to think or how to express what she was feeling. She'd spoken to her father the night before, complaining about all the data she was trying to get through. Earlier in the week she'd told him about Harrison saving her life. Her father was the only person she'd told. Her mother and her sister simply didn't understand her. Now, she'd never speak with him again. Instead of having her father there to comfort her, she was alone. Completely alone, forced to watch her mother and sister support each other. As the loneliness washed over her, a hand slipped into hers and gave it a squeeze.

Feeling the loneliness chased away, Tess looked up to see Harrison looking at her. In fact, he only seemed to have eyes for her. As she gazed at him, he reached up and wiped at a tear on her cheek. "I'm here for you," he whispered to her. "You aren't alone." Letting the tears fall freely, Tess threw herself into him, burying her face in his shirt. At first she was afraid he'd just stand there, but then she felt his arms wrap around her, one hand patting her back. The longer he held her, the less the pain felt so absolute; the more it felt like she had someone who would be able to understand her at least as well as her father had, if not better.

"I'm here till you don't need me anymore," Harrison informed her. As he spoke, he wondered if he meant it, realized he did, and decided to just keep patting her back. Looking over at the doctor, he spoke over Tess's head. "I'm sorry Doctor, I didn't get your name." While Tess still clung to him, he rocked gently.

"Dr. Edward Mills," the man said, a little surprised. "Were you his son?"

"Friend of the family. Dr. Harrison Wells," Harrison said. Despite the fact that he'd earned the title, repeatedly, he didn't like using it. That said, he'd found that doctors tended to open up more when speaking with a colleague. "Can the family see him?"

"Yes, of course," Dr. Mills said with a nod. As the women of the Morgan clan started to follow the doctor, Harrison briefly considered staying behind, however, Tess dragged him along. It seemed she was not about to let go of him any time soon.

They checked into the hotel late in the afternoon. Harrison and Tess had pulled an all nighter, helping Tess's mother and sister go through her father's stuff. They'd also ended up helping plan the funeral and notifying family. Through it all, Harrison had been right there for Tess, always ready when she needed more than just moral support. Around mid-afternoon Tess had told her mother and sister good-bye for the day and dragged Harrison out to a store to pick up what they needed in basic essentials.

Tess got them checked in and led the way up to their room. Harrison carried the bag containing everything she'd bought and brought from her parent's house. In the hallway he looked around, still uncertain how to behave while Tess got the door unlocked. Without saying anything, he followed her into the room. As he put the bag down in a corner he looked around.

"Oh, one bed," Harrison observed. "I'll uh, sleep on the floor."

"Harrison," Tess chided. "We can share the bed. Honestly, I was hoping we only had one bed."

"Umm," Harrison's brain shut down. Tess started going through the bag, pulling out toiletries and clothes.

"I'm going to take the first shower," she informed the still speechless man. Though he tried to speak, Harrison didn't manage to get anything out. Instead he opted for pacing the room and trying to decide how to deal with everything. Tess was amused to see him prowling the room when she came out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her midsection.

For a moment she stood in the doorway, watching Harrison muttering to himself and gesticulating with his hands. Finally she took pity on him. "I'm done, you can shower now." She smiled as she saw him look up, his blue eyes going wide. "Relax, Harrison. Nothing is going to happen tonight except us sleeping."

"Right. I didn't think anything would happen, first date and all." Sighing, Harrison relaxed some. He'd not known how to behave all day.

"Go shower, Harrison. Tomorrow is another day." Grinning, Tess came into the room, dropping her towel and starting to pull her clothing on without looking at him.

"You know, you sure do know how to test a man." Sighing, Harrison, picked up everything he'd need and took it into the bathroom with him. As he let the water wash over his body he felt some of the tension of the day's and night's events wash away. He wanted to be there for Tess, he couldn't say why, but he knew that he did. When he was done getting clean he was tempted to just stay in the shower, but that wouldn't be helpful for Tess.

"Hey Tess," Harrison said, coming out of the bathroom with the towel round his waist. "I think I left my underwear on the bed." Shouting, he jumped back, clutching at his towel as he was greeted with the sight of Mrs. Morgan and Jessica Morgan.

"Sorry Harrison dear," Mrs. Morgan said, barely sparing him a glance. "Tess forgot a few things, so we thought we'd stop by to drop it off."

"Oh, huh. Well." Scampering past the two women, Harrison grabbed the underwear he'd forgotten. Realizing he'd have to walk past the two women again to get to the bathroom, he opted to pull on a clean shirt.

"Oh, your gay is shy, how cute," Jessica chuckled.

"Excuse me?" Harrison looked to Tess who just shook her head.

"Anyhow, we'll be leaving now," Mrs. Morgan said. Instead of leaving though, she walked up to Harrison. After a long moment, she leaned in and hugged him tightly. "I'm glad my daughter has you for a friend. Even if you're gay."

"Uh, okay," Harrison mumbled, completely at a loss. Then the two women left. As the door closed, Harrison whirled to face Tess. "Why do your mother and sister think I'm gay?" Tess was laughing at him.

"I think it has to do with you telling them you aren't my boyfriend. Just a male friend," Tess said, finally taking pity on him. "In case you hadn't guessed, I've never actually brought a boyfriend home before. Dad was the only one I told about your rescue the other day."

"So, that's why your mother's okay with us sharing a hotel room? Cause I'm gay?" With a grumble and growl he flopped down onto the foot of the bed. Laughing, Tess came up behind him and wrapped her arm around him, putting her cheek to his.

"Be honest Harrison. Does it matter if they think you're gay so long as I know you aren't?" With a grin, she kissed his cheek.

"No," Harrison finally said after a long moment. Reaching up, he interlaced his fingers with hers. "But, what are they going to say when they find out I'm not gay?"

"Who says they're going to find out? I know you'll be a perfect gentleman while we're here." Harrison started to lean back while she was speaking until they ended up sprawled on the bed, Tess between Harrison and the bed. It made her laugh.

"Oh, yeah, perfect," Harrison agreed. Rolling off her, he faced her, propping himself up on an elbow. "Look, promise me one thing, Tess Morgan?"

"Okay, what?" Tess mirrored him, a little surprised that he was able to cheer her up so much.

"That our second date won't be nearly so exciting." With a laugh, Tess grabbed a pillow and bashed him in the face.

"I agree," she said. Exhausted, they both sprawled on the bed and soon fell asleep in each other's arms.


	4. Chapter 4 - Lost in the Clouds

**While I know I said the Castles in the Sand story was complete, I keep getting ideas for additional stories for Tess and Harrison. Rather than just putting up new story after another, I've decided to simply add them on here as new Chapters. As always, I welcome any feedback!**

 **Castles in the Sand: Lost in the Clouds**

It was midday when they met up; Tess Morgan looked around the parking lot as she parked her car. She was a little early but after the way their first date had gone, she'd decided that she owed Harrison. And so, Tess had set several alarms to ensure that she got there if not early, than at least on time. To her surprise, a moment after she pulled into a parking space there was a knock at her driver side window. Shrieking, she turned to see Harrison standing next to her car, grinning and waving in at her.

"Oh, sorry," Harrison said, opening the car door for her. "I didn't mean to surprise you."

"I thought I was early," Tess said to him. As she turned to get out of the car he offered her a hand, which she took with a smile. "I figured after the way things went last time…"

"You mean where you lost track of time working on your experiment, we drove 400 miles to your hometown, your mother and sister decided I was gay, and we slept together in a completely plutonic way?" He arched an eyebrow at her.

"Uh, yeah, all that."

"Oh, that was obviously the best date ever, right? I mean, the part where your dad died sucked, but other than that… definitely some of my finer hours." Harrison flashed a beaming smile at her.

"I remember my promise though. Less excitement this date," Tess declared.

"Yes. And with that, I thought we'd take a nice leisurely hike up Mount Thom." He waved at the mountain. "What do you say?" Staring at him, Tess realized that he was wearing a pair of sturdy looking hiking boots, jeans, a flannel shirt, and had a hiking pack on his back.

"Glad you warned me to dress for being outside." A bit nervous about her second date with the man who'd saved her life, Tess Morgan took the hand Harrison Wells offered her. "Are we going to get rained on?" She looked up to the sky as they headed towards the trail.

"Weather man said it isn't going to hit until tomorrow morning," Harrison replied. "Come on. I want to show you my favorite spot." They started out on the trail. At first they walked in silence, but eventually Tess spoke up.

"Thank you, again, for last time." She smiled at him, amused with the way he used his hat to keep his hair out of face. Instead of the newsboy cap she'd bought him, he was wearing a baseball cap backwards.

"No problem. How are you doing, anyhow?" He offered her a hand to help her over a rock. She paused, holding his hand and looking up at him.

"I'm okay," she finally answered. "I don't know that I would be if it hadn't been for you." Catching up to him, she slipped her hand into his and smiled as his fingers curled around hers. "So, Dr. Harrison Wells, what did you think of meeting my family?"

"Well, your mom was very nice. Your sister... not so much. I will say, I think you're the prettiest of all three of them." He smiled at her, enjoying the way the sun caught in her hair, and the way her smile made her entire being seem to light up. Lost in thought about her, he tripped over one of his own feet. Luckily, Tess caught his hand and kept him from doing a complete face plant on the ground beneath their feet.

"Well, thank you. A man falling over himself to convince me how pretty I am," Tess said with a cheerful laugh. "What do you have in that bag?" They kept going, Harrison paying a little bit more attention to where he was putting his feet.

"Oh, that's a surprise," he said, a cheeky grin filling his face.

"I like surprises, but only when they're good surprises." Tess felt like an idiot. She didn't know what to say to this man. His smile made her feel silly and made her want to smile back. "You know," she began, "I never did get to ask you. What did you study for your doctorate?"

He answered without thinking, too distracted by her to process everything. "Which one?" Pausing, Tess arched an eyebrow at him. "Sorry. I have, a few." He trailed off, uncertain what else to say.

"A few? As in a few doctorates?" Tess stared, watching him continue ahead of her apparently unaware she'd stopped.

"Well yeah, I-" he looked to his side, realized she wasn't still there. Stopping, he twisted to face her. "There's just so much out there to learn." Looking a little lost, he came back to her, wondering if his intellect would be a turn off for her. Oddly enough, it was for some women.

"I agree." Smiling at his lost look, Tess wrapped an arm around his waist, and started back on the trail. "So, what are your doctorates?"

"Oh, uh physics, and I'm a MD, and genetics, biology, mathematics," he trailed off.

"Is that all of them?" Tess wanted to laugh at him. He seemed so self-conscious.

"Those are my favorites," he answered. A little worried, he watched her for any sign of boredom or disgust. "So…"

"So, I think I really need to pick that brain of yours for help with my experiment." Tess jumped a rock and let go of his hand so she could dash ahead.

"Are you really okay with it?" He ran after her, hoping that she wasn't running away because he was so smart.

"Only if you promise to keep helping me with my work." They reached the top of a hill and she stopped, gazing at the beauty spread out before her. "Wow. That is beautiful."

"Think my view is better," Harrison said, standing a few steps behind her and admiring her. "Lame! That was lame. I'm sorry." Coming forwards he stopped next to her, turning to face her. "Look, I suck at the whole dating thing. I'm really attracted to you and want to see you more than once in a blue moon."

"Good. Then you can come by my place tomorrow so we can go over the data from my latest experiment," Tess said.

"Yeah, okay. Come on, I want you to see this." Taking her hand, he led her up the path, walking in silence for several long minutes. Finally they stepped out into a clearing with a stream running along the side.

"Harrison, this is lovely," Tess managed to gasp out. Nodding, Harrison removed his backpack and started pulling things out. First out was a blanket, which he spread out on the ground in a sunny spot. "Are we having a picnic?"

"If you're game," Harrison said with a smile. Nodding, Tess knelt next to him in the grass, leaning forwards to see what else he had brought with him.

"Definitely game." He'd brought bread and various sandwich fixings so that Tess could make whatever she wanted. There was also freshly cut fruit and some chocolate. They sat and ate, laughing and talking about everything from Tess's research to Harrison's sandcastles. As they chatted, the clouds seemed to move in, taking over the sky and darkening the day.

"Maybe we should head back," Tess said, watching a cloud turn dark and ominous.

"Yeah. It's starting to look like the weather man was wrong." Jumping up, Harrison started packing everything away, glancing up at the sky once or twice. When they had everything mostly packed, he slung the backpack over his shoulders and Tess started to lead the way back towards the parking lot.

It had taken them nearly 2 hours to get to the picnic spot, and going back they were forced to slow down. As they picked their way down the trail, rain started to fall. Harrison slowed more to make sure that Tess didn't fall, both of them slipping on the now muddy trail. A few more steps and they slowed even more as the ditch next to the trail rapidly filled with water, rain pelting them. Tess paused to glance up, lost her balance and started to fall. Seeing Tess falling, Harrison reached out, caught her and managed to shove her towards the trail before losing his own balance and falling into the ditch. He managed a shout of pain before the water carried him away.

"Harrison!" Shouting, Tess rushed after him, watching the water twist and tumble him over rocks and down the mountain. Several times she slipped and nearly fell, but eventually she came around a corner to see Harrison, his pack caught on a tree branch and water rushing over his head. Making sure she was on stable ground, Tess reached out. "Grab my hand!" She felt his hand wrap around hers and with some effort, she managed to pull him to the side, and helped him up and out.

"Thanks." Harrison managed before a coughing fit shook his body. Kneeling next to him, Tess started checking him for injuries. He had a nasty gash behind one ear, the start of a black eye, but he seemed to be focused on his left leg. Harrison was on the ground, his left leg half bent, both hands clutching at it.

"Okay, try to hold still, I'm going to check your injuries," Tess lectured. Trying to ignore the rain, she ran a hand over first one arm, then the other.

"Stop. Ticklish!" With a shout, Harrison squirmed away.

"Stop squirming!" Tess shuffled after him in the rain, the mud and water forgotten momentarily. "Harrison!"

"Sorry. I'm very ticklish. I'm okay. Just, help me up and let's get down to our cars." He held a hand out. Glowering at him, Tess took the hand and pulled. As he stood, she watched him with a critical eye. He seemed to be favoring his left side, keeping his leg up and whimpering a little.

"Can you put weight on that leg?" Tess nodded towards the leg he was favoring.

"Sure. No problem." Shaking his head, he went to take a step forwards with the bad leg. As he set his foot down he cried out and started to collapse. Tightening her grip on his hand, Tess did her best to take his weight. "Ow-ow!"

"Okay. Put your weight on me." Tess shifted a little, setting her body so that she would be able to take his weight. Looking up, she could see pain painting his face. "Okay, you sit. Is there anything in your pack we can use to splint your leg?"

"It's my ankle," Harrison informed her. Looking around, he spotted a rock. "Okay, can you get me over there?" Following his gaze, Tess nodded and together they struggled the four feet to the rock. Whimpering, Harrison lowered himself to the rock. Once he was seated, he unslung the pack, setting it down on the ground.

"Let me take a look at it," Tess said, taking his foot gently in her hand. "You said it was the ankle?"

"Yeah. I don't know if I caught it on something or twisted it." He watched as she started untying his boot. "Careful."

"Stop being a baby," Tess lectured. "There's some bruising already visible and you have a pretty deep laceration above it." She managed to slide his boot and sock off with minimal whimpering from Harrison. "Cute toes." Frowning, she examined the rapidly swelling ankle. "I think you've broken it. Do you have any pain killers in that bag of yours?"

"Basic first aid kit," he said, reaching into the pack and pulling out a red kit. "Tylenol." He shook a bottle at her. "No splint, but ace bandage." He offered her the bandage he'd pulled out.

"Okay. I'll try to stabilize this the best I can," Tess said. "Take some of that Tylenol." Nodding, he opened the bottle and took the medicine while he watched Tess wrap his foot. When she was done, she carefully put his sock and boot back on, tying the boot as tightly as she could. "Ready to try it again?"

"Yeah," Harrison agreed. Taking a deep breath, he stood, pulling the pack on and then allowing Tess to take his arm over her shoulder. "Slowly," he requested as they started off. Nodding her agreement, Tess did her best to help him as they hobbled down the trail, rain pouring down around them.

"Thank you," Tess said as they stumbled.

"For what?" Harrison glanced at her, then turned all of his attention back to the wet trail in front of them. He didn't want to fall again.

"Well, you wouldn't have ended up in that miniature stream if you hadn't kept me from falling," Tess declared. They both slipped some and Harrison cried out as he caught them on a nearby boulder.

"Sprain!" Stopping them, Harrison held the offending hand up to look at it. Like his ankle, his wrist was bruised and starting to swell. "Bad day," he grumbled. Almost unconsciously, he tucked the wrist close to his chest, self-splinting it as best he could.

"You know," Tess said, as they started on the trail again. "I thought we had agreed this date would be less exciting than our first."

"Hey, now I don't know how you define excitement, but our first date was still more exciting than this," Harrison countered.

"Then perhaps we should agree on a definition of excitement for the next date," Tess suggested. It made Harrison laugh, which ended in a whimper. "Broken rib or two?"

"Yeah. So, I get another date?" He tried to contain his excitement, which wasn't hard considering the amount of pain he was experiencing.

"Of course," Tess declared. Despite everything that had happened to them, he was still grinning, though occasionally she could see his pain. "How could you have known the clouds were going to turn against us."

"So I don't lose points to the attack clouds?" They were making progress, successfully distracting each other from their misery.

"Definitely not. Plus, you get a big bonus for risking yourself for me," Tess added. They arrived at the cars. "Now, I think we get in the car and I drive you to the ER."

"Of course, because no date of ours is complete with a trip to the hospital." Harrison grimaced, letting Tess lead him over to her car.

"At least no one is dead this time," Tess said. She helped Harrison into the car, relieving him of his pack. While he attempted to get comfortable, Tess got everything into her car, before joining Harrison in the front seat. "And once more, you are my knight. Even if you are my knight in muddy clothing." With a grin, she leaned over to gently kiss him before starting the car and heading to the hospital.


	5. Chapter 5 - Reality Check

**Author's note: Another glimpse into the possible lives of Harrison Wells and Tess Morgan. I hope folks are enjoying this. As always, comments and suggestions welcomed! Thanks to my beta, encourager, and comment leaver - Alisha Winchester Collins.**

 **Not mine and I make no money from this!**

Castles in the Sand: Reality Check

Tess hated hospitals, not just because her father had died recently. She hated the waiting. Now, she was waiting for them to update her on Harrison Wells. Their hike and picnic had been ended by a freak storm. While trying to get back to their car Harrison had been injured. Tess wasn't certain how bad the injuries were, but she had been able to tell that her date had been in a lot of pain on their drive to the hospital.

"Mrs. Wells," a man said, coming into the room where Tess was waiting. They'd allowed her to be with Harrison the entire time, except when he'd been sent for x-rays and just recently to set his broken leg.

"Yes?" She didn't bother correcting him. She didn't know why, but everyone seemed to think she and Harrison were married and not a couple out on their second date.

"Dr. Dreyson," he said, offering a hand. "I've set your husband's leg, but he's a little out of it due to the pain medication."

"I see." Was all Tess could think to say.

"Now, I will release him into your custody, but he does have a concussion so it would be best to try to keep him awake for the next 24 hours. If he does fall asleep you need to make sure he's rousable."

"Okay." Tess didn't have any plans, so spending a day with her date was no big deal. She just hoped he'd be able to tell her where he lived.

"We'll send him home with a wheelchair to use for the first few days. At least until the sprained wrist has healed. Once his wrist feels better he can switch to crutches and return the wheelchair. He should schedule a follow up appointment with my office for 2 to 3 days from now. Do you have any questions for me?"

"Yes," Tess said. "Where is Harrison?" She'd not seen or heard her date the entire time the doctor had been speaking. If she was to take Harrison home, it would be nice if she had Harrison.

"One of the nurses is bringing him back. They should be here in a few minutes. Anything else?" Tess shook her head and the doctor smiled and then left the room. A few minutes later, Tess heard Harrison's voice in the hallway.

"I really think you should slow down before we get pulled over," Harrison was saying. A moment later he was wheeled into the room in a wheelchair. "Tess!" He shouted loudly.

"Harrison, how are you feeling?" Tess asked, genuinely concerned.

"My brain is buzzing," Harrison replied. He grinned a goofy grin and tugged at the wrist they had wrapped. "I'm glad you waited."

"There is nowhere I'd rather be," Tess replied honestly. After everything Harrison had done for her, being there for him was the least she could do for him. "Now, the doctor said we could take you home. Are you ready?"

"Sure, but you're driving. This lady drives like a maniac." He nodded back towards the nurse that had brought him into the room. "Whoa! Shaking head bad." His eyes went large before he started blinking rapidly.

"I'll help you get him checked out and into the car," the nurse said gently. Nodding her thanks, Tess followed the nurse, Harrison's discarded items in a bag in her hand.

Checking out was fast, though Harrison was no help. While Tess dealt with the last few instructions from the nurse, Harrison drummed on the arms of the chair and looked around. He was a little bit more helpful when they went to get him into the car.

"Where we going?" Harrison asked as he put an arm around Tess while he moved from the chair to the car.

"I am going to take you home," Tess replied, reminding herself that the man was injured and medicated.

"Oh goody. Where do I live?" He sounded like a happy child, willing to take any answer as truth. It was not a question to which Tess had an answer.

"Check your driver's license," Tess ordered.

"Good idea," Harrison replied cheerfully. He reached into his back pocket, pulling out a battered wallet and holding it as he climbed into the car. The nurse helped Tess fold the wheelchair and stow it in the back seat.

As Tess slid into the driver's seat, she glanced at Harrison. He had his license out and was frowning at it. "Can I see?" Tess asked, motioning at the license. Leaning a little, Harrison handed her the license.

"I can't remember how to get there," he told her, fear tainting his voice. "My brain is fuzzy. I can't make it think right." Putting his uninjured hand up to his head, he rubbed at first one temple and then the other.

"You have a concussion and are on medication," Tess told him. Reaching out, she took his hand away from his head and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry."

"I'm not usually dumb," Harrison said, there was panic in his voice. "I'm smart. Well, book smart. I'm not always socially smart. Chris says that when I try I can manage charm." Squeezing his blue eyes shut, he pulled his hand away from her and rubbed at his face. Frowning, Tess reached out and took his hand again.

"Harrison, listen to me," she began. She paused until he opened his eyes and looked at her. "You are smart, but right now, medications and injury are making it hard for your brain to function like usual. So, I'm going to drive you home. Now, this Chris, do you two live together?"

"No. Chris moved out. Got some hot-shot job in the city." His voice quivered, but he seemed to be getting himself pulled together. "So, it's just me right now."

"Okay. So, I'll take you home. Don't worry about your brain feeling fuzzy. We'll put in a movie or something and just hang out for the night and day." Smiling gently at him, Tess started the car.

"Tess Morgan, you are an angel," Harrison declared, leaning back against the seat. Tess didn't respond as she drove. When she'd seen Harrison's address she'd not been surprised to see that he lived near the beach. She was a little concerned when she pulled up and realized that he lived above a surfboard shop. How was she going to get him up the stairs?

As she parked the car and considered ways to try to get Harrison upstairs, he sat up a little straighter. "Tess, this is where I live." He seemed excited to get through the fog in his brain. "I live up there. Two bedroom, two bathroom apartment. It even has a washer and a dryer. Makes it easier to clean all my beach clothes."

"Harrison Wells, you are such a beach bum," Tess said, grinning at his excitement. "Now we just have to figure out how to get you upstairs."

"Let's ask Hogan," Harrison suggested.

"Who?" Tess asked in confusion, but Harrison was already opening the door.

"Hogan!" He seemed to be yelling at the shop he lived above. A moment after his shout a large man stepped out, turning sideways to get his wide shoulders through the door frame.

"Doc? That you man?" The big man approached the car cautiously.

"Yeah Hogan. It's me," Harrison said with a nod. The giant of a man leaned down, resting a hand on the roof of the car. "This is my date, Tess." Harrison motioned towards her.

"Hell happened to you man?" Hogan frowned, eyeing the skinny man's injuries.

"He fell while we were hiking on Mount Thom," Tess supplied. "Broke his ankle and sprained his wrist."

"Damn man. You need help getting upstairs?" As Hogan spoke, Tess opened the door and got out.

"Could you?" Tess said as she got Harrison's bag out of her car and pulled the wheelchair out. "He's supposed to let his wrist heal for a few days before he switches to using crutches."

"Sure. I can help. Doc, you just hold still and do as I say," Hogan declared. Leaning down, he lifted Harrison from the car. "Come on Tess. I have a key." Smiling beautifully at her, the big man started towards the stairs, carrying Harrison in his arms as if the skinny man was a child. "This way pretty lady."

They trudged up the stairs, Hogan letting them into the apartment and carrying Harrison back to a bedroom. Following a big more slowly as she brought up the wheelchair, Tess paused to look around. She was amused to see a surfboard leaning against the wall next to the door. There was a collection of sports paraphernalia around the room. It seemed that Harrison Wells was a bit of a sports fanatic. It looked like he enjoyed playing them more than watching them though. Hogan came back from the bedroom, having deposited Harrison in his bed.

"Alika Hogan. I own the shop below," the large man said offering a massive hand. "You going to be okay here?"

"Yeah. Harrison hurt his head so I need to keep him awake for the next 24 hours," Tess explained.

"No problem beautiful lady. I'll bring you guys some food in a little bit. Thank's for taking care of Doc for us."

"Doc?" Tess asked in confusion.

"Nickname for Dr. Wells in there," Hogan said, pointing back the way he'd come. "One of his favourite movies is Back to the Future. When he's not mimicking his gram's and gramp's accents, he does a great Doc Brown impersonation."

"I'll try to remember that. Out of curiosity, what is his gram's accent and what is his gramp's accent?" Tess asked, the words feeling odd in her mouth.

"Scottish and English, I think," Hogan answered. "You'll know. He seems kind of dopey right now. That's usually when he does it. He's a fun drunk. Even if he isn't drunk very often. Fool stays up late playing with his science often enough, he might as well be drunk then." Laughing and shaking his head, Hogan then turned sideways as he left the apartment, closing the door once he was through.

Putting down Harrison's bag, Tess took a deep breath, wondering how the day and night was going to go. Their time together when her father had died had been strangely wonderful. Harrison had done his best to be a gentleman and also help her forget her pain. He'd managed to make her laugh and smile and gotten her to remember all the good things about her father. Hopefully, in the next 24 hours she could return the favour.

"Harrison?" She called his name as she started down the hallway to his room.

"I'm back here luv!" He'd switched to a British accent. It was a good thing Hogan had warned her, or else she might have taken Harrison back to the hospital. "Let's do something!" Tess entered the bedroom cautiously. It was immaculately clean. One wall was nothing but bookshelves, full of books, all on various subjects. A desk occupied the other wall, a computer sitting on it, powered down. The wall across from the bed had two more bookshelves and a TV in between the two. Harrison appeared to have turned the TV on, flicking through channels as he spoke with her.

"What would you like to do?" Tess asked, wondering if she should join him on the bed.

"Let's be geeks," he joyously declared, his accent mutating again.

"Okay. How do we do that?" Tess had no idea what her date would enjoy doing. What kind of movies did he watch?

"Classic movie marathon? Ghostbusters, Princess Bride, Back to the Future Trilogy? I also have classic Who." He grinned happily, apparently proud of his collection. Laughing, Tess sat. "I could just press play and we'll watch whatever is in there."

"Oh, mystery movie. Works for me," Tess declared. Nodding his agreement, Harrison pressed play, flopping back into the bed. The movie started and Tess was amused to see that they would be watching The Explorers. "I love this one." Smiling happily, she sprawled next to him, hoping the next 24 hours would all be like this.

Nearly two hours later, Tess smiled and stretched. Glancing over at Harrison, she was surprised and worried to see his eyes closed, mouth partially open, and hear a snore issuing from him. "Harrison!" Reaching out she shook him, intent on waking him up. He didn't respond.

"Harrison wake up." Shifting around, she sat on her knees next to him. As she tried to wake him, she heard the apartment door open and close. A woman's British voice called out.

"Harrison! Are you home? I've been trying to get a hold of you!" The voice drew closer and Tess became more frantic in her attempts to wake her date. The door to the bedroom opened and a woman entered. Looking up from her efforts, Tess tried not to look like a caught teenager.

"Harrison!" With a shout the woman spun and left the room, slamming the door shut.

"I'm up!" Harrison shouted, rapidly sitting up, his blue eyes snapping open.

"I don't need to know that!" The other woman shouted from the room.

"Chris?" Harrison called out, confusion painting his face. "What are you doing here?"

"I am not holding a conversation with you while you're… busy!" The woman responded. Tess could hear the horror in the woman's voice.

"I'm not busy! We were just watching a movie," Harrison called out.

"That's Chris?" Tess asked. "The same Chris that just moved out?" Harrison had been going on dates with her while he was living with another woman? Tess couldn't believe her luck. Angrily, she stood, getting ready to storm out. As she threw the door open, she came face to face with Chris.

"I just realized you were both fully clothed," Chris said to Tess. "Christina McGee. I used to live in the other room. Strictly platonic, I assure you," she added, offering Tess her hand. "You would be the brainy, beautiful, babe, Harrison has been crushing on for the last month."

"Hey! You were supposed to keep that secret!" Harrison shouted. Christina looked to her long-time friend, frowning when she realized he was in a cast and had his wrist immobilized.

"Good lord Harrison, what the hell happened to you?" Tess stepped back, allowing Christina to come into the bedroom.

"I fell!" Harrison declared, almost proudly. "I'll get you later." He grinned evilly, his eyes sparkling.

"So, you fell, and broke your ankle and wrist?" Christina looked to Tess to see if she was getting it right.

"We were hiking," Tess informed the other woman. "Tess Morgan."

"That's Chris," Harrison said childishly, pointing.

"Enjoying his pain meds I see," Christina said. "And I still hate it when you call me that," she added, glowering at her former flatmate.

"I know, I'll call you Chrissy instead." Grinning cheekily, Harrison started shifting around on the bed. "Time for a new movie!"

"He hit his head, got a concussion," Tess informed the other woman. "I didn't know if there was anyone we needed to call and he wasn't much help. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Christina said, waving her hand as if to wave away any indiscretions. "I'm just happy he had someone to take care of him. Sometimes he can be a bit of a baby. So, 24-hour movie marathon? Keeping him awake because of the concussion?"

"Yes," Tess said. "Hogan said he'd bring food by at some point."

"Well, I'll leave you two alone then," Christina said, starting to leave.

"Actually, Christina," Tess began, stepping to follow the other woman. "This may sound strange, but would you be willing to join us?" She'd realized she could use some help keeping Harrison awake. The fact that he'd already fallen asleep on her watch once bothered her.

"Gladly, but, do call me Tina," Tina said. "I'll go pop some corn, shall I?"

"That'd be great," Tess agreed with a nod.

"I need a body warmer!" Harrison bellowed, apparently tired of being ignored. "And a new movie!" He'd switched accents again. This one seemed to be Scottish. Tina just rolled her eyes and left the room.

"I can take care of both," Tess said. Moving to the TV she put a new movie in, and then joined Harrison on the bed. To her surprise, he wrapped an arm around her and leaned against her, using her as a pillow.

"Yeah! Back to the Future!" Harrison cheered as the movie started, knowing which movie it was before it even really started. Smiling at his goofiness, Tess just shook her head. A few minutes later, Tina returned, a bowl brimming with buttered popcorn. Harrison sat up a little bit, snagging a handful of the buttery goodness for himself.

"Thank you," Tess said to Tina.

"It seems to me you two haven't had a normal date yet," Tina observed. "First he saves your life, wonderful first meeting if you ask me."

"Then her dad died," Harrison added, throwing some popcorn into his mouth.

"I'm terribly sorry to hear about that," Tina added, glowering at a blissfully ignorant Harrison.

"Then my mother and sister decided he was gay," Tess added.

"Really? Harrison hadn't told me about that," Tina said, smiling viciously.

"Great. As if breaking my leg wasn't enough, now Chrissy has more ammo," Harrison grumbled.

"I say that's fair," Tina declared. "You've met her family, now she gets to meet the closest thing you have to family."

"You don't have any other family? What about your grandmother and grandfather?" Tess realized maybe she shouldn't have asked right after the words had left her mouth.

"They died three years ago," Harrison said.

"I'm sorry," Tess replied. "Forgive me."

"Yeah. But it will cost you a kiss." Grinning, Harrison leaned forwards and stole a kiss, though honestly Tess gave it willingly.

"Look, if you two are going to be cutesy for the next 24 hours, I'm leaving," Tina declared. "Good lord Harrison, they shaved part of your head."

"What?!" Horrified at her words, Harrison's hand flew to behind his ear. Sure enough, where he'd cut his head open during his fall, they'd shaved his head. "My hair!"

"You'll need to do something about that before your interview," Tina declared.

"You have an interview?" Tess asked.

"No," Harrison replied.

"Yes, you do. In a month. I've arranged it," Tina declared. "So, we'll do our marathon for today, then Tess and I will get you interview ready."

"I know how to do an interview," Harrison argued.

"Harrison dear, you wear ball-caps to interviews and forget to mention that you are an MD and have 5 PhD's," Tina lectured.

"Well, he already has a newsboy cap he can wear if he must wear a hat," Tess declared.

"We'll just have to train him to take it off as soon as he goes indoors," Tina added.

"Dear lord, there's two of them," Harrison grumbled. "Will you two stop planning my demise and just watch the damn movie!" Seeing them both smile, he smiled back, happy that his best friend and, dare he think it, his girlfriend, were getting along.

"It is a good movie," Tina agreed, grabbing a handful of popcorn.

"One of my favorites," Tess added. She looked to Harrison and then Tina. "So, Tina, what do you think Harrison and I should do for our next date?"

"Avoid anything strenuous," Tina recommended. "Perhaps a nice night star gazing? Though, with your luck, a comet would land on you." All three ended up laughing and Tess decided that it was going to be an enjoyable 24 hours after all.


	6. Chapter 6 - Castles in the Pancakes

It was a beautiful day. Rather, it had been a beautiful day. Tess Morgan had spent most of it indoors working at her job in the University Lab. It wasn't her dream job, but it helped pay the rent and she got to work on her own experiments in her free time. With a massive yawn, she took a brief break before climbing out of her car. She was parked a block down the street from where her currently injured boyfriend Harrison Wells lived. Since injuring himself saving Tess during a hike, Harrison had been stuck in his little apartment for five days, his former roommate Dr. Christina "Tina" McGee and Tess were taking care of him.

Tina had taken the daytime shifts. With her daytime job, Tess couldn't cover them and the former roommate was waiting to start a new job so she had the time available. Two days ago Tina had taken Harrison to a follow up appointment for his broken leg. Unfortunately, the appointment hadn't gone well and the doctor had ended up prescribing more pain medication after resetting Harrison's leg for the second time.

When it came to medication, Harrison Wells was a "drug weenie." They were his own words, uttered in one of the few lucid moments he'd experienced since the accident. It was probably more the drugs than anything else which required he have a companion with him day and night. There were times he was absolutely nutty. Earlier Tina had left him alone while she made lunch and come back into the room to find he'd doodled all over himself with magic markers. He was like a giant toddler on crack.

Taking a few deep breaths, Tess climbed the stairs to Harrison's apartment and knocked softly. The door was opened almost right away. A frazzled looking Tina McGee greeted Tess with a nod. "He's sleeping," Tina said, letting Tess inside. "He took his pain meds about an hour ago. He won't need them again until the middle of the night. Are you sure you're okay to do this? You look absolutely knackered."

"I'll be fine," Tess said, hoping she was telling the truth. Nodding, Tina patted her shoulder and then grabbed her purse and headed out the door. "Good luck. I've hidden all the pens. He managed to find another marker. He'll need a bath at some point, but I draw the line there." Flashing a quick smile, Tina waved good-bye and was gone.

Sighing, Tess closed the door and wandered into the kitchen, hoping she would have at least an hour of peace before her patient would awaken. She'd only just opened the refrigerator door when a scream sounded from Harrison's bedroom. Wondering what the hell could be wrong this time, she headed towards the room. Previously, she would have run, but after five nights of caring for Harrison, she didn't.

"My body!" Harrison was screaming as Tess entered the bedroom. Tina had tucked him in, his arms over the bedsheets and blankets. Seeing Tess, Harrison turned his horrified gaze on her. "Tess! My body! Somebody stole my body!" Shaking her head, Tess grabbed the covers and pulled them back, revealing his marker covered torso. "You made it reappear! Cool!"

"Harrison, you have to stop playing with the markers," Tess said, her hands resting on her hips. She hoped she could keep herself together long enough to deal with him. It wasn't his fault the medicine made him a lunatic.

"I didn't do this!" Harrison protested, motioning at the scribbles. "Why would I do this?" He started to sit up, apparently trying to get out of the bed. Throwing the covers back all the way, he frowned at the still new hard cast. "Whoa. Tess, did I piss off the mob?"

She took a moment to try to figure out his line of thinking before responding. "No. Why?"

"Cause someone tried to give me cement shoes only they screwed up and missed a foot!" Harrison's blue eyes were wide, but cloudy. It was how Tess could tell he was enjoying his meds.

"You broke your leg," Tess reminded him. "While we were hiking."

"Oh!" He said the word as if she'd just explained the secrets of the world to him. "Right." They were silent for a few minutes. "I'm hungry," he finally declared. Sighing, Tess sat down next to him on the bed.

"Any idea what you want?"

"Food! The edible kind!" He grinned childishly. "Wanna go swimming?"

"Harrison," Tess said with a sigh, reminding herself it was the drugs. "You're wearing a cast."

"Oh," he said, his accent mutating to what sounded like Irish. "Is that not fashionable? I understand if you don't want to be seen with a fashion disaster like me." His eyes took on the puppy dog look and Tess felt her heart breaking. She knew he couldn't control the way he behaved when medicated. She'd done a bit of research and found some recent papers on genetics and the metabolism or breakdown of drugs.

"I'll go see if I can get Hogan to rustle up a meal for us," Tess said. She'd make dinner herself, but she didn't trust him alone for that long. She knew a shout out the door would bring the shop owner lumbering up the stairs. It seemed Harrison was a well-loved member of the neighbourhood.

Going to the door, Tess shouted and went back to Harrison's room to put a movie in to distract the injured man while she waited for Hogan. A few minutes later she heard the door open and Hogan call her name, "Tess, you shouted?" The big man entered the bedroom, used to the routine after five days of helping the two women.

"I was wondering if you'd be willing to get us some dinner," Tess said. With a beautiful grin, the big man nodded. "Harrison isn't being specific, so whatever you're willing to get would be great."

"I want edible food! I was too specific!" Harrison shouted from his bed. "Hi Hogan!" Laughing, the big man shook his head.

"You sure are Doc. You sure are. How much longer is he gonna be on those crazy pills?" Hogan had turned his attention back to Tess. With a sigh, she held up seven fingers. "Two weeks total?" Tess nodded. "Look, you ladies get tired of playing babysitter, let me know. I have plenty of help down at the shop and Doc here fixed me up enough times I owe him."

"Thanks. For right now, I'd settle for dinner," Tess pleaded, hating how tired and worn down she felt. Nodding, Hogan turned and headed back out of the apartment. When she heard the door slam shut, Tess prayed she'd be able to deal with a doped up Harrison by herself.

Turning back, she was relieved to find Harrison absorbed his his movie, quoting along with Cary Elwes and the other actors in The Princess Bride. The drugged genius even mimicked the different accents. With a sigh of relief, Tess sat, resting her head on her hand. Her cell phone rang, making her jump before she realized what it was.

"Tell your mom 'Hi' from me," Harrison said, rolling in the bed so he could watch the movie on his back with his head hanging off the foot of the bed.

Shaking her head, Tess stood and answered her phone, watching Harrison from the doorway. "Hi Mom," she said, wondering what the hell was going on now.

"Hello dear," her mother said sweetly. "Just wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm great Mom," Tess said.

"Don't forget to tell her I say 'Hello' Tess," Harrison shouted, not realizing she was just at his door.

"Goodness, who was that dear?" Mrs. Morgan wanted the best for her daughter but had a hard time connecting with the scientist who was her second daughter.

"Harrison," Tess said, glancing in at the man. Harrison had started drumming on his doodled on stomach while still spouting lines from the movie.

"Harrison?" Mrs. Morgan was confused for the briefest of moments. "Oh, that sweet gay man who drove you home when your father… well. That Harrison?" She still wasn't used to the idea that her husband was dead.

"Yes Mom. That Harrison. He broke his leg while we were hiking. His friend Tina and I are taking turns taking care of him."

"Tess, Doc, I brought food!" Hogan called out as he let himself into the apartment. His massive arms dwarfed two take out bags from a nearby Chinese Restaurant.

"Who is that dear?" Mrs. Morgan couldn't help be curious.

"Harrison's friend Hogan," Tess said, waving a greeting at the man who nodded seeing she was on the phone. "He brought over dinner."

"Oh, well, I'll let you go dear. Call me when you're done eating?"

"Sure Mom. Love you."

"Love you too dear." The line clicked off, and Tess snapped her phone shut moving to help Hogan with the bags of food.

"Tess, how much sleep you been getting?" Hogan asked as he set the table with plasticware and set out the food.

"Probably not nearly enough," Tess answered. "I'll go get Captain Crazy." With an exhausted sigh, she went back to Harrison's room.

"Tess, something smells yummy," Harrison said, struggling to get up. He'd already paused his video and was struggling with the crutches. That was the other fun effect of the drugs. Harrison Wells looked like a drunk flamingo trying to tap dance when he attempted to use the crutches. He just lacked the coordination needed. Tess wondered if he'd have any more luck when he was off the medicine. Taking pity on the poor man, she moved to help, coaching him through it as he'd gotten angry when she'd tried to do too much.

"Hey Doc," Hogan greeted them as they entered the dining area off the kitchen. A bar separated the two, so it was possible to work in the kitchen and talk with people in the dining room or living room. "I brought Chinese. Little bit of everything almost." The big man smiled and pulled out an extra chair so Harrison could prop up his injured leg.

"Oh, Hogan, you are the best. Marry me?" Harrison's blue eyes were big and serious. To Tess's amusement, Hogan simply rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Ask me again when you're sober," Hogan declared. Perhaps more amusing than the gentle giant's answer was the fact that Harrison's face seemed to fall in disappointment. A smile re-lit his face though when Tess passed him a fork and started putting food on his plate. He waited till everyone had food, and then started shoveling the food into his mouth.

"Did Tina forget to feed you?" Tess asked, watching him eat.

"I slept through lunch," Harrison answered almost lucidly. A few minutes later, he sat back from his empty plate with a groan. "I ate too fast." He looked dizzy, almost drunk. Putting down his chopsticks, Hogan stood, waving a paw of a hand at Tess.

"Don't worry Tess. I'll take care of Doc." Standing, he handed Harrison the crutches and the two headed back towards Harrison's bedroom and bathroom. Tess let the world fade as she focused on eating, so tired that she was afraid she might fall asleep in her lo mein. When she looked at the clock later, she realized that the two men had been gone for nearly twenty minutes.

Tess was standing to go check on them when Hogan returned, shaking his head and running a hand through his dark hair. "Poor fool," Hogan grumbled. "Does he have to take those pills?" He sat down at his place, picking up his chopsticks. "All that food, and he pukes it up."

"He got sick?" Tess felt bad for the man she'd been getting so frustrated with. Hogan nodded as he chewed on some food. "I suggested we take him off the meds but his doctor said he'd be in too much pain."

"And barely keeping food down and acting like a mad man is better? I think the Doc would rather be in pain if he could weigh in with his opinion." Hogan shook his head, but then grinned. "Course, I do get to tease him about proposing to me now." His grin made Tess laugh and it felt so good.

They spent the rest of the meal talking about science, the beach, surfing, moving, and more. Hogan was an easy going man and Tess found she really liked him. He seemed to very much be one of those giant cuddly teddy bear men. When they finished eating he insisted on cleaning up and put the leftovers in the fridge. Before leaving he gave Tess a bear of a hug.

"Listen Tess, you need me, just shout. I'll be here. You don't have to do this alone." He stepped back, smiled gently at her, and then vanished out the door and down the stairs. Locking the door behind him, Tess went to check on Harrison.

His movie had finished and he was fast asleep sideways on the bed. Sighing, Tess threw a sheet over him and returned to the living room to call her mother. "Hey Mom," Tess said when her mother answered.

"Oh, Tess dear. How was your meal with those two men?" If she hadn't known Harrison was gay, Mrs. Morgan might have been bothered by her daughter having dinner with two men, but instead she didn't mind.

"Good," Tess answered. "Harrison proposed to Hogan."

"Really? How exciting. What did this Hogan say?"

"That Harrison should ask again when he isn't on medicine." Tess smiled, knowing she was just kindling the fire.

"Oh. So, is Hogan taking care of Harrison now?" Mrs. Morgan wondered why her daughter was doing it instead of the man's boyfriend.

"No. He had to go back to work. It's okay though. Harrison is asleep now." Tess stifled a yawn but knew her mother still heard.

"Oh. Tess dear, get some sleep. You sound exhausted. I love you. I'll talk to you later." The line clicked off, and Tess tossed the phone on the coffee table. With a tired blink, she sprawled out on the couch, pausing only long enough to kick her shoes off. In seconds she was asleep.

Singing woke Tess up. Trying to blink the sleep away, she sat up and looked around the room in confusion. She was in Harrison's bed. The curtains were drawn, the TV was off, and somebody had tucked her into the bed. Throwing back the sheets, she got out of the bed and went to investigate the singing.

It turned out to be two people singing. Harrison was in the kitchen, leaning on his crutches as he flipped pancakes and sang along with Hogan, who was sitting on a bar stool playing the ukulele. The two men didn't notice her at first, instead focused on their singing, cooking, and strumming. Uncertain she should believe her eyes, Tess rubbed them, blinked, and then looked again. This time Harrison looked up from the song as he plopped a pancake onto a plate. Seeing her, his blue eyes sparkled and he grinned.

"Hey! Tess," Harrison greeted her when the song ended. For her part, Tess stood in the doorway, shocked and uncertain what was happening. "Sleeping beauty wakes."

"She sure is a beauty," Hogan agreed. Putting his ukulele down, he stood and went into the kitchen, picking up a knife and slathering several pancakes with butter. "Doc, you make the best pancakes." Slapping Harrison on the back, the big man then returned to the table.

"Thanks. That's a very firm back slap you have there," Harrison said with a groan. Realizing she'd slept through giving Harrison his medication, Tess went to the counter where they'd been keeping the pills. "You won't find them," Harrison declared, glancing at the counter where she was searching. "I crushed them up and Hogan dumped the powder in soiled cat litter."

"What?" Tess couldn't believe her ears.

"Sorry, but I hate the way they make me feel. I'd rather deal with the pain." He hopped back a little and turned the burner off. "Pancakes are done. Grab these two plates?" He nodded down at two plates stacked with castle shaped pancakes.

"You still have a week to go on that prescription," Tess nagged, picking up the plates and following Harrison into the dining room. He was much more graceful on the crutches now. With little effort he managed to get out of the kitchen, into the dining room, and sitting. Hogan pushed a chair out with his leg, and Harrison propped his own leg up on it.

"Yeah, well, Hogan here says I proposed to him last night. I figure, stop the drugs before I propose and he accepts. That might throw a wrench in our relationship." Reaching out, he squeezed Tess's hand and then motioned at the plates she'd set at the table.

"Lucky for you I understand. Hogan does seem to be perfect marrying material," Tess teased, feeling so much better with a good night's sleep and a nearly sane boyfriend. "Are you sure you can deal with the pain?"

"Better a little pain than a total lunatic. I can barely remember the last five days and some nut colored all over me with marker," Harrison declared, sipping at some tea. "And I had to ask Hogan what day it was to figure out how many days I'm missing!"

"I'm getting more," Hogan said, standing and going back into the kitchen. He returned with a large stack of pancakes. "Good thing you made a triple recipe." Harrison nodded, smiling behind his teacup.

"I must admit, I think I like you better this way," Tess said

"Oh, before I forget," Harrison said, setting down his cup and picking up a pad. "Chrissy called. She wasn't certain if she'd get here on time today. Hogan told her not to bother as he was going to watch me today. Also, some woman named Ellie called. She wanted to talk you into coming to girl's night."

"I cancelled on her so I could stay here and take care of you," Tess said.

"Oh, well, I told her I'd make sure you were ready for her to pick you up at seven. Apparently you're going to a new movie and dinner." Harrison shrugged as he put the pad down.

"Harrison! I told Tina I'd take care of you!" Tess protested.

"I know. Now, I'm taking care of you. Tess, nobody likes being cooped up. Go out, have a good time. I'll be either here or down in the shop." He reached out and gave her hand another squeeze. "You can ask your girl friends what we should do on our next date. I'm thinking karaoke. Nobody will have to tell me to break a leg!"

"Harrison!" Tess rolled her eyes, laughing. "You're awful."

"So, does that mean I don't get a kiss good morning?" Harrison asked with clear puppy dog eyes. Grinning, Tess leaned in and kissed him. A napkin hit their faces.

"Hey, I'm trying to eat here!" Hogan declared. "And that's my fiance, Tess." He grinned at the two. "So kiss him like you mean it."

"I should tell you," Harrison said, leaning in towards Tess. "We should probably do as he says. He's my landlord."

"Oh. Well, I wouldn't want to be responsible for you getting evicted," Tess said. It felt so nice to have her boyfriend back. "So I guess I better kiss you like I mean it."

"Yeah. Guess you better." With shared grins, they kissed again, this time, Hogan clapped.


	7. Chapter 7 - Calling it Quits

Harrison Wells grumbled to himself as he tried to get up the stairs to his apartment. He'd had a long hard shift at the ER where he worked and his leg was aching. The cast was heavy and he hated the way it felt on his leg. The crutches were hurting his arms and hands and he still had all the steps to get up. Sighing, he kept going. As he thumped up the stairs he heard a noise from the shop he lived above.

"Doc, you should have asked for help!" Alika Hogan, the owner of the building, hustled up the steps and stopped Harrison. "Come on, let me help!"

"Thanks but I'd rather not bruise my ego," Harrison grumbled. He knew how Hogan defined help. "How'd that date work out for you?"

"Not my type," Hogan declared. "Don't think changing the subject will stop me from helping you." With a big grin the monster of a man hefted Harrison into the air, cradling him like an infant and quickly carrying him up the stairs, crutches and all. "Here you are."

"You really know how to crush a man's ego," Harrison complained. "Why wasn't he your type?" He switched the subject back to Hogan's romantic life.

"He kept blabbing about marriage. You know me Doc, I'm not the marrying type, man or woman." Hogan flashed a bright smile. "Will you and Tess be going out tonight?"

"I was going to meet her at the Midnight Guardian," Harrison informed his friend. "Want me to check in on Lani?"

"Yeah. She's working the bar tonight. Let her know I will pick her up when she gets off."

"Will do," Harrison agreed. "I'm getting a shower and then I'll head out."

"Thanks Doc. Night." Beaming brilliantly, Hogan headed back down the stairs to his shop.

"Hey, Hogan, can I use some of your tools?" Harrison had a few modifications he had to make.

"Only if you help me with a new board I'm working on," Hogan countered.

"Deal."

"Okay. Come on into the workshop when you're ready." Smiling his beatific smile Hogan continued on to his shop.

Much later Harrison exited his apartment. He was dressed in comfortable shorts and a lightweight white short-sleeved dress shirt. Running a hand through his hair he frowned as his fingers brushed across the area the hospital had buzzed. While the hair was growing out, the patch was still very short. Sighing, he headed to his car. Arriving at the club he pulled on the blue newsboy cap that Tess had bought for him and headed into the thumping music. He loved the club and he was not only looking forward to seeing Tess but also Lani. He'd not seen Lani in some time. Smiling, he worked his way through the throng of people towards the bar where a beautiful dark skinned young woman was fending off the advancements of some lech in a cheesy suit.

Tess Morgan arrived at the club a little early. She kept her eyes peeled looking for her date. They had agreed to meet up in half an hour. Really she was hoping to surprise him. After being his caretaker for nearly a week they'd been apart for almost the same amount of time. She'd been working at the lab and she knew he'd also returned to work. Now she was practically buzzing at the thought of seeing him. Looking around, Tess was surprised to see Harrison at the bar leaning casually on his crutches. He was smiling at the bartender much to Tess's surprise. He also seemed to be glowering at the man next to him who was leaning in towards the bartender as well. Curious, and with a sinking feeling in her stomach, Tess moved forwards. Soon she was close enough to hear the conversation.

"Look buddy, get lost," the other man was snarling at Harrison.

"Hey, I'm not the one epically failing at hitting on the bartender," Harrison shot back.

"Get lost peg leg," snarled his opponent.

"Nice. Did you come up with that on your own? Look, take your single celled brain and get lost. The lady isn't interested in you." Harrison wasn't really snarling, just sort of dismissing the man.

"You're lucky I don't hit the obviously deformed," snarled the other man, grabbing a fistful of Harrison's shirt.

"Hey, lay off," the bartender said. She came around the bar, pulling the man away from Harrison. A pain started in Tess's stomach and then worked up to leave a nasty taste in her mouth as the bartender leaned up and planted a territorial kiss on Harrison. The taste and pain grew worse as Harrison returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around the woman and pulling her closer.

"Jesus. Get a room," the other man snarled, glowering at the two and walking away.

Horrified Tess watched the couple break apart. With a huge grin on his face, Harrison looked after the man and then pulled the woman closer. The bartender must have been ten years younger than Harrison but it didn't seem to bother the couple as the young woman wrapped an arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder. The two were now sharing a laugh. Seeing how close and affectionate the two were being with each other Tess felt anger build along with tears.

Striding forwards she placed herself squarely in Harrison's line of sight. Instead of acting upset that she had caught him, Harrison simply grinned wider at her. "Tess!" He actually seemed pleased and excited to see her. He started to lean forward to give her a "hello" kiss.

"Asshole," Tess snarled, slapping him as hard as she could. Blinking stupidly, Harrison put a hand up to his cheek.

"Huh?" He seemed totally confused.

"I'll leave you here with your other girlfriend." Glowering at the bartender, Tess stormed off.

"Tess! Wait!" His shout carried to her barely audible over the music as she stalked across the dance floor. "Tess!"

Harrison would have kicked himself if he didn't have a broken leg. Tess must have seen him and Lani. Sighing, he chased after the woman of his dreams as fast as the crutches would carry him. He called her name out again. "Tess! Please!" They were outside now, Harrison struggling to keep up. "Please let me explain!"

She heard him. Tess didn't know how he could explain away making out with another woman. Pressing her lips firmly together she decided to ignore him. "Tess!" Harrison called out and then shouted as he finally tried to go too fast on his crutches and ended up crumpling to the ground. "Damn it!"

Tess didn't want to stop but she heard the rather painful sounding fall. Harrison's string of colourful expletives also caught her attention. "Fuck it straight to Venus!" His frustration floated on the evening breeze to Tess and she stopped. Glancing over her shoulder she realized Harrison didn't know she'd stopped. "Help a friend out. No big deal. Giant ignoramous!" He was berating himself. "See it from outside."

Sighing, Tess turned and studied him. Crumpled in a heap on the sidewalk, Harrison had apparently thrown one of the crutches in anger. It was several feet away but he didn't seem to have realized he'd done it as he had his elbows on his thighs and was staring at his lap. The verbal bashing he was delivering was definitely directed at himself.

"Be honest though, you didn't think you'd be able to hang on to a beautiful woman like that," he continued. "I mean, no woman who can look that good pouring over data points could possibly be into you or at least stay interested. Moron."

"Not many morons have as many degrees as you," Tess said, taking a step back. She hadn't meant to speak but he looked so pitiful.

"Tess?" Harrison looked up at her, a smile filling his face. "I thought you left," he added. "I mean, I can understand why you left. If I had been on the outside looking in I probably would have left too."

"Harrison, shut up," Tess declared. She walked back to him as he snapped his mouth shut and looked up at her. "You threw your crutches." Managing a crooked smile he didn't break his gaze from her.

"They added to the miserable failure that was my attempt to catch you." His blue eyes were sparkling in the night and he seemed unable to tear his gaze away from her. "Can I explain what you saw?"

"I know what I saw," Tess countered.

"Yeah?" A shiver ran through Harrison and he started trying to get up. Taking pity on him, Tess grabbed the crutch he'd thrown and helped him up.

"Come on, let's sit," Tess ordered. Harrison followed her over to a bench that looked out over the beach. They sat and there was a moment of silence as they both watched the waves break and pull the water back out.

"I'm sorry I got so mad," Tess finally said softly. "It isn't like we'd said we were being exclusive."

"No, we didn't," Harrison agreed. "But it would have been pretty asinine of me to go on a date with a woman just before meeting you for another date."

"He's worth hanging on to," a female voice called out. Tess looked over to see the bartender standing a few feet away. She held two Styrofoam cups that were steaming.

"Hey Lani," Harrison said as the young woman approached them. "Lani, Tess. Tess, Lani." The two women nodded at each other, Tess watching the other woman worriedly. Had she come out to reclaim Harrison as her own?

"I brought you two some hot chocolates," Lani said, handing them the cups. "And I thought I'd help you with an explanation." Smiling, the young woman sat down on the bench next to Tess. "So, has Harry told you about the time I broke his nose?"

"I hate it when you call me that," Harrison grumbled. "And you didn't break my nose. You just bloodied it." He smiled sweetly at the young woman. "Oh, Hogan said to tell you he'd pick you up tonight."

The young woman swore in a different language and shook her head. "I tell you, that big brother of mine is so over protective. I may have to start treating his boyfriends and girlfriends the way he does mine." She let out a long sigh and shook her head. "Thanks for passing on the message. Also, thanks for the save back there." Smiling, Lani stood and leaned down to give Harrison a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Good luck." After a moment she hugged Harrison. "Back to work." She stalked back towards the club.

"She's a good kid," Harrison declared. "She's studying sports medicine. Smart as hell. Never play strip poker with her."

"She's Hogan's sister?" As soon as Lani had called Hogan her brother Tess had noticed the family resemblance. Instead of speaking Harrison just nodded. "And you were acting like her boyfriend to get that guy to leave her alone?"

"She gets hit on a lot and he was being particularly sleazy about it," Harrison explained. "I've known Lani since she was ten. If Hogan thought I was dating her he'd kick my pasty white butt."

"I'm sorry," Tess said. "I saw you kissing her and I just lost it. I felt like I'd been played."

"I'm sorry too. I didn't even think about how it might have made you feel. Part of me forgets you don't know everyone I know. I feel like I've known you for eternity so you must know all about me." Hesitantly Harrison reached out and took her hand.

"This is a very crazy relationship we've had," Tess said.

"Yeah, tell me about it. First I save you from drowning."

"Then my dad dies on our first date."

"Your mom and sister assume I'm gay," Harrison added.

"You break your leg on our hike."

"And spend a week whacked out of my head on pain meds while you have to take care of an overgrown toddler." Harrison sighed and played with her fingers.

"And then tonight happens. Our third date and I'm smacking you in the face." Sighing, Tess didn't like what she was thinking but she decided to say it. "Harrison, maybe someone is trying to tell us something?"

"Yeah?"

"Like maybe this relationship was doomed from the beginning." She hated saying it and the look on his face told her what he thought.

"Really? Seems to me that someone wants us together. I mean, if I hadn't been on the beach you would have drown." He held her hand a bit tighter.

"But if we hadn't gone on that hike you wouldn't have broken your leg," Tess countered.

"Tess, I can't believe that we would be brought together just so we could break up," Harrison told her seriously. "I mean, you can believe that whatever gods there are in the world are trying to tells us we don't belong together, but I don't. Even if those gods were to show up right here and now I'd just tell them to leave us alone."

Tess tried to decide if she wanted to respond but Harrison kept going. "I don't care if we spend the rest of our lives with your family thinking I'm gay as long as I get to have you in my life. Now, if you want to give up and move on, I won't fight you. I will, however, keep asking you out every week. I'll show up with flowers, chocolates, advanced data analysis programs, whatever might work. I'm not letting a few rough dates scare me away from the woman who means the most to me."

"You really like me that much?" She wasn't certain she wanted to believe him.

"Tess, you're the only woman who can listen to me go into all out science babble and just smile at me in amusement. No other woman in the world can put up and keep up with me the way you do. I love that and it makes me want to spend every minute with you," Harrison told her seriously. He reached out and started playing with her hair. "And no broken leg will ever change that."

Sighing, Tess sat back, leaning into Harrison. He was warm in the cool night air and she seemed to fit perfectly against him. "You feel that strongly about it?"

"How many ways do I need to say I want to keep dating you? Tess, maybe you're just misinterpreting the data. Maybe what all these crazy dates were just supposed to be indicator of how amazing our lives could be together." Harrison pulled her close as he spoke, inhaling the smell of her hair. "Sometimes you just have to look at the data from a different angle."

"Well, Harrison Wells, you certainly know how to argue," Tess said. "Alright. I guess we keep trying."

"How about tomorrow night we stay in and I cook you dinner?" He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"Why don't I cook dinner for you?" Tess smiled up at him and then looked down at their clasped hands, her gaze flowing down to his broken leg. "What the hell is on your leg?"

"An immobilization device to keep the bone perfectly in place while it heals," Harrison rapid fired. "I made some modifications. The other one was too heavy and bulky so I talked Hogan into letting me work in his shop. Had to come up with a new polymer to make it light enough but still strong enough, but whatever. Do you like?"

"It looks like a web," Tess observed.

"Yeah. I guess it does. I'll have some funny tan lines by the end of the summer." Harrison grinned and they fell silent. As they sat watching the waves Tess pondered the man beside her. Annoyed with his cast he'd made a new one and created a new kind of polymer to do it. To make it even more amusing he didn't even seem to see either creation as an accomplishment. He saw a different way to do something and he did it. Maybe that was why she loved the nut so much.


	8. Chapter 8 - Romantic Evening at Home

_**Another adventure in the disastrous dating lives of Harrison Wells and Tess Morgan. This time Harrison and Tess are trying for a romantic dinner at his house. Will they succeed? Still flying sans beta so I apologize for errors. I do try. Let me know what you think! -CT**_

 **Castles in the Sand: Romantic Evening at Home**

It was raining. Tess wasn't certain if that was a good thing or not. Sighing, she shifted the weight of the grocery bags in her hands and started up the stairs to her boyfriend's apartment. Tonight would be the night. Tonight, she was going to make Harrison a lovely dinner without any kind of incident. At least, that's what she was hoping. With their record, she wasn't certain if it would work out that way. Sighing, she adjusted her grip on the bags and tried to figure out how to knock at the door. Before she could contemplate the problem, the door opened, Harrison smiling widely at her.

"Beautiful! Come on in, set those things on the bar," Harrison greeted her. Turning, he hobbled back to the kitchen, leaning a little heavier than usual on his crutches.

"Thank you," Tess said with an exhausted sigh. Staggering into the apartment she kicked the door closed and put the bags on the counter. With her hands free she happily hugged Harrison, leaning in for a kiss. "Hey," she greeted him as they broke apart.

"Hey yourself," Harrison returned, his eyes twinkling behind his glasses.

"You look beat."

"Rough day at work." Trying to shrug off her concern, Harrison started to hobble to the table. "I'll sit and let you cook, unless you need me to do something?"

"No, no. Come here," Tess ordered, grabbing his hand. Stopping, Harrison allowed her to quickly check his eyes and his temperature. "Little elevated."

"It's been a very long day. Really Tess, I'm okay. I promise." Taking her hands in his, Harrison made sure to keep their eyes locked.

"Okay. You sit, I'll cook." They exchanged another kiss and then Harrison hobbled over to the table, taking a seat and putting his leg up with a happy sigh.

"So, I hope you're okay with a beef stew," Tess declared. "It'll be a bit though."

"That sounds fine," Harrison supplied. "We can watch the rain while the soup cooks."

"Sounds great." They fell silent as Tess started getting everything out. She was painfully aware of Harrison watching her, but the few times she glanced at him he was smiling silently to himself. Knowing that he could get lost in his own thoughts, she decided to ignore him and simply get to the cooking.

There was a lot to do. The good news was that they had the entire evening to themselves so they didn't have to rush anything. Tess set to work on chopping the vegetables. "Want some help with that? I can sit and chop," Harrison offered after watching her for a moment.

"No. I want to do this all myself," Tess declared. "You just sit, rest." She kept cutting.

"Okay, but you and Tina spent nearly a week taking care of me so I kind of want to help." His voice lilted almost like he was singing to her.

"You made me those amazing pancakes when you finally came to your senses," Tess pointed out. "Plus, I owe you for slapping you the other night." She continued to cut the vegetables. The knife slipped and she swore as she dragged the blade across her thumb.

For a man with a broken leg, Harrison moved surprisingly fast. Tess only had time to swear once before he was there, taking the knife from her hand. "Here, let me have a look at it," he ordered. Holding as still as she could, Tess watched him as he examined the wound. "Not too bad. Looks like we should be able to just clean it and bind it. Come on to the bathroom. I'll get you fixed up and then I WILL help you make dinner." The look he gave her made it clear that she couldn't fight him on it, not any more.

With Harrison in the lead they headed to the bathroom by his bedroom. There was a second bedroom which had recently been vacated by Harrison's best friend Dr. Tina McGee. Having found a great job in the city Tina had opted to move in closer. She'd arranged for Harrison to interview with the same lab but she'd not given him the precise date and time yet. While Tess worried she would lose the easy access to her boyfriend if he got the job, she knew his brilliant mind wasn't worked nearly hard enough at the hospital where he was currently working.

"Sit on the toilet," Harrison ordered as they entered the bathroom. He examined the wound again and then instructed her to go ahead and wash with warm soap and water while he got everything out. Once Tess was done washing her hands Harrison gently took a towel and blotted her hand dry. Having never been his patient before, Tess found herself feeling sorry for the patients he would be leaving if he got the job with Tina. His touch was soft and gentle yet certain. Finished drying the cut Harrison applied a salve containing antibacterial and pain medications. It was cool to the touch and he applied it before putting a self-adhesive bandage over it.

"Good as new," Tess mused as she wiggled the finger.

"Yep. Now, let's go cook." Grinning his boyish grin, Harrison hobbled out of the bathroom, until he had more space and then he seemed to glide on the crutches. Sighing, Tess followed after him, finding him already in the kitchen cleaning up blood.

"Thank you," Tess said, coming up behind him and wrapping her arms around him. Stopping what he was doing, Harrison wrapped his hands around hers.

"Cuddly," he said. "I'd turn around but I'd probably bring us both to the ground with these damn crutches." Resting her head against his back, Tess hummed for a response. "Oh vibrations." For a moment Tess just stayed that way, snuggling into him. "Much as I am enjoying this, I think we need to get dinner started. Plus, I want to put my arms around you."

"Right, dinner," Tess said, pulling away.

"Not fair," Harrison complained. Instead of following her though, he just got back to work on making the dinner. They worked side-by-side in a companionable silence, each just happy to be with the other.

Things seemed to be going well. There were no more incidents and they had the soup on the stove cooking in no time. Tess was starting to feel like maybe they would get through the night easily after all. She must have jinxed them because just as they were washing their hands and getting ready to leave the kitchen one of Harrison's crutches slipped on possibly the only droplet of water on the floor and he slipped, arms and legs pinwheeling. Without thinking Tess stepped up, trying to catch him. Logically, she should have known it wouldn't work. Basic physics would have told her that she wasn't enough of a counter weight. So, instead of just Harrison ending up on the floor in a heap, they both ended up hitting the ground. Actually, that wasn't true, Harrison hit the floor and Tess landed on Harrison, forcing the air out of him in an explosive grunt of pain.

They both sprawled there, Tess on top of Harrison, a long low groan drawing out of Harrison. "You okay?" He asked the question without moving. Tess was trying to decide if she should roll off of him or try to get up first.

"Yeah. I'll just roll off," Tess decided. With a grunt, she started to roll off of him. Before she could, his arms came up, wrapping around her and he held tight.

"No need," Harrison said softly. "We still have some time to kill while dinner cooks. I can think of at least one way to pass the time."

"We could play cards," Tess suggested with a knowing smile.

"I was thinking of something more hands on," Harrison countered with his own smile.

"Oh? Why don't you tell me?" His eyes were bright, intense, drinking in her own.

"I prefer to demonstrate," he growled and lifted his head towards hers.

Tess wasn't sure how long they were on the floor. She did know how much she was enjoying herself. She was so absorbed in what they were doing she didn't hear the front door. Neither did Harrison, his mind too busy cataloging every detail of Tess. The way her blue eyes seemed to glow in the light, the feel of her lips. In his mind, he was identifying perfection. On the floor the nearly half foot he stood over her didn't exist. It was just them, together.

A shriek broke through the apartment and something impacted with the floor. "Harrison!" Breaking their kiss Harrison looked up at his former roommate.

"Chrissy! You couldn't knock?" Harrison demanded on the woman standing at the entrance to the kitchen.

"I did! When you didn't answer I figured you were absorbed in some project of yours!"

"I am. Go away." It seemed Harrison was intent on going back to what he had been doing. It earned him a stamped foot from Dr. Tina McGee.

"Harrison Wells! Would you please!"

"Please what, Chrissy? You let yourself into my home! Why am I the one in trouble?" He knew it was too late. The mood was broken, Tess was in the process of rolling over onto the floor.

"Really Harrison," Tina said. "I hate it when you call me that."

"And I hate it when you walk in on me when I'm with somebody!" Harrison let his head drop to the floor. "Ah. Chrissy! One night. Can I have one night where things go my way?"

"As far as I'm concerned, you've had several," Tina shot back at him. Tess stood and nodded at Tina. "Tess," Tina greeted her.

"Tina. Sorry. Guess we were a little lost in our own little world," Tess admitted, perhaps a little more than a little embarrassed.

"And it was such a lovely world too," Harrison grumbled. Sighing, he sat up, gathered his crutches and started through the process of getting to his feet. "Why are you even here Chrissy?"

"I wanted to let you know that you have your interview with Dr. Monroe Thursday at four in the afternoon," Tina informed him, trying to forget what she'd just seen. "I wanted to help you pick out your wardrobe and maybe take you for a haircut."

"I know how to dress myself and I don't need a haircut," Harrison retorted angrily. Clearly he was still upset about being interrupted.

"Harrison," Tess said with a sigh. Reaching out she brushed her fingers through the short hair on the side of his head. "You do too need a haircut. You can't go to an interview with this single chunk of hair cut."

"Not like they'd notice. My hat covers it," Harrison complained.

"No hat," Tina lectured. She got an angry incredulous look from Harrison. "So, we need to get an outfit together for you and get your hair cut. Haircut first I think."

"No." Crossing his arms across his chest, Harrison started to pout.

"Stop being so childish," Tina chided.

"Stop being such a bossy pants," Harrison countered, sticking his tongue out at her.

"Sit down and hold still while I fix your bloody hair," Tina ordered. Harrison looked to Tess, but she was mirroring him, arms crossed and a stern look on her face.

"Sit," Tess ordered. With a defeated grumble Harrison sat in the chair the two women had selected. "I'll go get a towel and hair cutting kit." Tess vanished into the bathroom and Harrison glowered at Tina.

"Of all the nights you had to show up and ruin my night," Harrison grumbled. With an overly dramatic sigh he pulled his shirt off, dropping it on the floor.

Tess hadn't been expecting a topless Harrison. It made her stop and stare. Sure, she'd seen him topless when they'd first met, but she'd forgotten just how toned his upper body was. The last time she'd seen him topless he'd been covered in marker by his own hand. After admiring the muscles, she stepped up, draping the towel over his shoulders. Taking hold of the towel, Harrison looked over his shoulder and directly into Tess's cleavage.

"Sorry," he instantly apologized, turning his head back to face forwards. Smiling, Tess came around and sat in his lap. "What?"

"I'm going to help you hold still while Tina trims your hair." Smiling, Tess ran her fingers through his shoulder length hair.

"Yeah? Well, just not too short," Harrison ordered. He didn't get to say more because suddenly Tess was kissing him. Forgetting about the haircut, Harrison focused on the kiss and the woman in his lap. It wasn't until he heard an odd buzzing noise and the back of his head and neck felt oddly chilled that he realized what was happening.

"Hold still," Tina ordered before Harrison could pull away. "I don't want to accidentally cut you." With the razor in hand she'd buzzed straight down the middle of Harrison's head, leaving him with half an inch of hair only. While Tess held the struggling man's head still, Tina attacked the rest of the silken hair.

"My hair!" Harrison protested. "What the hell have you done to my hair?"

"I'm in the process of making it all the same length," Tina declared. She kept working until she was done. As she stepped back Tess got up and Harrison struggled to his feet. Making quick time with his crutches he went to the bathroom. A shrill shout sounded when he saw himself in the mirror.

A knock sounded at the front door. Rolling her eyes at Harrison's antics, Tina went to answer the door. Alika Hogan, the landlord, blocked the doorway. "Heard some shouting. Thought I'd check in on Doc," the big man said with concern.

"Come on in Hogan. We were just giving Harrison a haircut," Tina said, stepping aside so he could get his form through the door. He had to turn sideways to do it.

"Oh. Take care of that cut patch from when he hurt his head?" Hogan looked around, smiling as Harrison entered, a bandanna covering his now shorn hair. "Doc, heard you got a haircut."

"She buzzed it all off!" Harrison grumped.

"I'm certain it looks fine," Hogan countered. Tina and Tess exchanged looks, amused at Harrison's dramatics.

"No job is worth my hair! If I wanted to look like this I'd have joined up." Still grumbling, Harrison plopped down in one of the chairs.

"Something sure smells good," Hogan said.

"We made stew. Would you like to join us?" Tess asked. She figured the date was already ruined. They might as well enjoy the company.

"Sure. I just made some bread. I'll go bring up the loaf." Turning, Hogan happily left, returning moments later with the hot, fresh bread. "Hope you have butter," Hogan said as he put the loaf on the table.

"I'll get the dishes out," Tina said, moving to the cabinets. Soon the quartet was eating piping hot stew and fresh bread. Harrison was still hiding his hair but he was in less of a sour mood. They chatted while they ate, discussing the weather, Tina's new job, and Harrison's latest castle creation. Much later Hogan and Tina left, leaving the couple to themselves.

They had just finished waving goodnight to Hogan when Harrison turned to Tess. "Now then, where were we?"

"On the kitchen floor. I think we should move to the bedroom though," Tess suggested. With a smile, the two headed back. As they entered the bedroom Tess motioned for Harrison to sit on the bed. Taking his crutches she set them against the wall and then settled on Harrison's lap, facing him. "I definitely think this will be more comfortable." Reaching up, she pulled the bandanna off his head, finally getting a good look at his new haircut. "And you know what, I think you look really sexy with your haircut."

"Yeah?" Harrison arched an eyebrow, breathing in Tess's scent and fighting the urge to just lean in and devour her.

"Oh yes." Grinning, Tess tossed the bandanna behind her and leaned in for a kiss, reclaiming the night with Harrison for herself.


End file.
